Australian Music Foundation Classical Awards

Since 1975, the Australian Music Foundation has supported young Australian classical musicians, conductors and composers in furthering their studies overseas.

We support study in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Visit our Current Awardees and Alumni pages to see some of our success stories.


2024 AMF Classical Awards

Applications for the 2024 AMF Classical Awards CLOSED ON FRIDAY, 3 MAY 2024 (11:59 PM UK BST time).

We hope to announce the results towards the end of July/early August.

Subscribe to the AMF Awards Mailing List to receive information about our awards, such as application dates and links to the application form. Please click HERE if you would like to subscribe for information about the AMF Awards.


Regulations for AMF Classical Awards

PLEASE READ ALL THE RULES AND REGULATIONS BELOW AS A GUIDE
(Note these are subject to change at any time due to future circumstances.)

1. Applicants MUST be Australian citizens

2. Age Limits

Applications will be open to classical instrumentalists up to the age of 27, and classical singers, conductors, accompanists, répétiteurs and composers up to the age of 31 on the closing date for applications.

3. Type of Study Plan

These awards are only open to those taking part in full-time tertiary education, who are either part-way through or have been offered a place on, a programme of undergraduate or postgraduate artistic study at a recognised music college, conservatoire or university of outstanding reputation in the UK, USA or Europe, starting in the academic year September 2024 to July 2025.

Undergraduates may only apply for funding from their third year onwards (ie. applications will not be considered for the first or second year of undergraduate study).

Postgraduates and those studying for a Doctorate, Artist Diploma or equivalent may apply for funding from their first year onwards.

4. Application Form

  • Applications are made online.

  • The registration form will only be 'live' on this page of the website when the application window is open each year. 

  • A sample application form is available here, so that you can familiarise yourself with the type of information required. Questions may change from year to year, so the sample is for a guide only.

  • Those who have subscribed above to receive information about the awards will be informed when the application window is open and the online forms are available. 

5. Audition Videos

  • The AMF only accepts video audition files, apart from composers and organists who may submit audio files. 

  • Applicants should ensure that the quality of the recording itself is as good as possible and that the recording is made in an environment suitable to your voice or instrument, as this is a crucial element in the assessment of applications.

  • Videos should not be more than six months old at the time of application.

  • Please do not send videos using amplification, or performances which have been recorded outdoors.

  • Videos which have already been used for a previous AMF application will not be accepted.

  • Please see the Video Guidelines below for more information.

6. Repertoire and Timings

(Composers, conductors, accompanists, répétiteurs and organists, please see Frequently-Asked Questions below.)

  • The choice of repertoire should be varied, to demonstrate the applicant’s strength in a range of repertoire from different periods and styles.

  • The videos must show the applicant playing/singing as a soloist, with or without accompaniment, but not as part of an ensemble, unless they are the featured soloist in the group.

  • The audition material should not include more than one movement from a particular sonata or concerto.

  • Please do not submit videos of outdoor performances or anything with amplified sound.

  • A single recording should be no more than 15 minutes in length. 

  • Three to four videos may be submitted with a total length of no more than 20 to 25 minutes for all recordings.

  • Each piece should be submitted on a separate video. The piece being submitted must be the only thing on the video and not start part-way through.

  • The title of each video file should contain the applicant's full name, plus the composer and title of the piece being performed.

  • Videos should be no more than 6 months old at the time of application.

7. References

The names of two referees are required on the application form. They should both be distinguished members of the profession, such as your current or previous teacher, head of department or similar. Referees should not be members of your family, even if they are in the music profession.

  • Written references should be dated and refer specifically to your AMF application.

  • Please ask your two referees to email their references to the AMF Administrator (Glenn Horder glenn@australianmusicfoundation.org) before the closing date, either typed within the body of an email, or written on headed paper, then attached to an email.

  • References must be sent DIRECTLY by the referee and NOT via the candidate, otherwise they will not be accepted.

8. Entry Fee

We charge a £10 application fee for your entry, to cover the 3rd party administration costs we incur. This is payable by PayPal via the online application form.

9. Payment of Awards

Please note that the majority of AMF Awards can only be paid in Australian Dollars into an Australian bank account. Awardees may nominate a relative or proxy to accept the money on their behalf.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the aim of the AMF Classical Awards programme?

The AMF award programme aims to assist young Australian classical musicians of exceptional ability, financial need, and potential to pursue their musical education overseas. Awards are given based on merit and need, for the pursuit of specific activities. These may include one or more of the following:

  • contributing towards fees for a course of undergraduate or postgraduate study at an overseas music institution with an outstanding international reputation.

  • contributing to maintenance costs during a full-time course of undergraduate or postgraduate study at an overseas music institution of outstanding international reputation.

  • paying for other expenses or essential items that the adjudication panel believe will contribute to the applicant’s musical development while on a full-time course of undergraduate or postgraduate study at a recognised college or university in the UK, Europe or the USA.

The final purpose of any award will be as agreed between the panel and the applicant, with possible additional conditions at the panel's discretion.

Awards must be used for the purpose for which they are given, and awardees will be required to provide evidence of this.

I am a Composer - how should I apply?

  • Composers should follow the general regulations above and apply using the standard form, but they may send in audio recordings of their compositions if no video is available.

  • Please provide PDF files of the scores for all pieces submitted. 

  • On the application form, please provide links to audio files on SoundCloud or Dropbox and links to PDFs of the scores in Dropbox or similar.

  • Composers may also send in video links via YouTube if they have performance videos of any of their compositions.

  • If there is not enough space on the form to include links to your scores, please email them to the Administrator.

I am a Répétiteur - how should I apply? 

  • Répétiteurs should follow the general regulations above and are required to submit 2 audition videos playing contrasting opera ensemble scenes, in different languages (approximately 8 -10 minutes each), in which they should sing in as many of the vocal lines as appropriate.

  • Répétiteurs should also present one opera aria in which they are accompanying a singer.

  • All three videos should add up to no longer than 25 minutes in total.

I am an Accompanist - how should I apply?

  • Please follow the general regulations above and submit 3 to 4 videos of you accompanying singers and/or instrumentalists in a variety of repertoire, covering different styles and composers.

  • The videos should add up to no longer than 25 minutes in total.

I am an Organist - how should I apply?

  • Please follow the general regulations above. However, due to the technical difficulties and expense of making a video of an organist in an organ loft, while also getting the best sound quality possible in the church or hall, organists may submit audio files if they are not able to be visible in the video, even from a distance.

  • Alongside the audio files, we ask that you get a friend or colleague to video you playing the same pieces in the organ loft on an iPhone or similar, to prove that it is you performing.

  • Put the audio files into SoundCloud/Dropbox and type the links to these files in the boxes on the application form. 

  • Upload your video material as 'unlisted' on YouTube (so that no one else can view it) and send links to these videos by email to the Administrator, as there may not be room for you to add them to the application form. These videos will not be used to judge your performance; they are only to confirm that it is you playing, therefore the sound quality is not so important.

If I am the winner of an award, what obligations do I have to The Australian Music Foundation?

The Australian Music Foundation requires that during your course of study supported by the award, you submit bi-annual reports of your progress to the Foundation, reporting on your activities and use of funds. This includes:

i) An activity report describing the use you have made of the award, and the benefits you have gained from the activity.

ii) A financial report on the use of the funds, with supporting evidence.

The Australian Music Foundation also requires that the grant of an AMF award be mentioned in the artist’s biographical materials for the duration of the award and at least 3 years subsequently.

What other benefits are there to being an AMF awardee?

The Australian Music Foundation aims to arrange performing opportunities for its awardees, to support their career development. This will usually include a Prize-Winners' Concert in London, on a date to be announced, allowing awardees the opportunity to perform before an invited audience of distinguished guests. The AMF reserves the right not to include every awardee in this event if the logistics of the venue prevent them from being able to perform. Other performing opportunities may also arise during the year or subsequently.

The Australian Music Foundation at its discretion also aims to offer its awardees a range of additional non-financial support, including mentoring and career advice, for as long as they remain in the early phase of their musical careers.

What is the value of an award?

In previous years around nine to twelve awards have been made, with values ranging on average from AUD $7,500 to AUD $20,000, but the AMF reserves the discretionary right to vary the number and value of individual awards from year to year, depending on available funds, the decision of the judges, and the financial circumstances and study plans of the awardees. Stated values of awards in promotional literature are a guide only.

Please note that the majority of awards will be paid by cheque in Australian Dollars (AUD) into an Australian bank account. Awardees without a personal Australian account should nominate a relative or proxy to accept the money on their behalf.

For how long is an award made?

Australian Music Foundation awards are given for a single academic year only. However, you are entitled to apply for another award the following year, or subsequently, subject to satisfactory completion of the requirements of the previous award, and providing you still meet the eligibility criteria. 

The value of subsequent awards will be at the discretion of the judges and may not be as high as a first award.

How can I assist the Australian Music Foundation in the future?

The Australian Music Foundation will always wish to stay in touch with its awardees and would hope that alumni, having attained a successful professional career, will be willing to support the aims of the Australian Music Foundation and enhance its ability to support new generations of young Australian musical talent.

If you have any friends or contacts or business connections you can make consider donating or sponsoring an award or event these would be greatly appreciated. Please contact us to make an introduction through the AMF Administrator.

Video Guidelines

  • As with any audio audition file, you should create your video audition in the most appropriate surroundings possible for your instrument or voice – for example a studio or concert hall with the appropriate acoustics.

  • No outdoor performances or amplified sound will be accepted for classical applicants.

  • Videos should have been made within the last 6 months prior to the closing date for applications.

  • Post-production manipulation of the sound quality is strictly forbidden and may in any case be detrimental to your application – we are looking for the most natural demonstration of your current ability.

YouTube Links. 

  • Applicants should upload their videos to YouTube.

  • Please send each audition piece as a separate video.

  • The video should only contain the piece being submitted, not other movements or songs, and the piece should start at the beginning of the video.

  • On the YouTube Upload page, select 'Public' or 'Unlisted' on the dropdown box.

  • When your video has loaded, you will be given an individual link to your video. Copy and paste these links into the relevant boxes on the Application Form.

  • Please ensure that the name of each video file contains the applicant's full name, plus the composer and title of the piece being performed.

  • 'Unlisted' means that your videos will not be publicly available on YouTube - they will only be visible to the AMF judges and anyone else you choose to send the links to. Please do not select ‘Private’.

  • See youtube.com for details and help. 

  • If you experience any problems, please contact the AMF Administrator.

Composers should provide links to their audio files on SoundCloud or Dropbox, and links to PDFs of their scores in Dropbox or similar. Composers may send in video links via YouTube if they have performance videos of any of their compositions.

Organists may also send in audio links, plus video footage of them playing their pieces in the organ loft.


Venues & Production partners

Most universities and conservatories now assist their students in creating audition videos, free of charge. Please contact your current place of study for more details.

For applicants who are not current students, or cannot get assistance from their place of study, there may be recording studios who give discounts for students. 

In Sydney, Music Feeds http://studio.musicfeeds.com.au may offer a discount to AMF applicants.

Fine Music FM in Sydney (and some other cities) have a recording facility with a grand piano and reasonable rates for students. Contact their Young Virtuosi program for more details, mentioning the AMF.

In the UK, the AMF has used Orientis Recording Services in Wimbledon, to record live performances at Wigmore Hall and the Dukes Hall (Royal Academy of Music). Orientis record regularly at Opera Holland Park, Wigmore and Cadogan Halls, at many festivals, and also demos for music agents. Contact Simon Vout at orientis.3@blueyonder.co.uk Tel: 07910 167235 for details of recording packages for both audio and video.


Data Privacy Policy

Please click on the link to view the AMF Data Privacy Policy.